Tool for removing handhole plates



- W. C. REED. TOOL FOR REMOVING HANDHOLE PLATES.

APPLICATION man AUG-18, 1920. w

Patented Mar. 28, 1922 smart WALTER C. REED, 0F BURNEIAM, ILLINOIS.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1e22 Application filed August 18, 1920. Serial No. 404,4;0.

To all whom it May concern Be it known that I, VJAL'TER C. REED, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burnham in the county of Cook and State of vlllinois, h useful Improvements in Tools for Removing aandhole Plates, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to devices for removing the hand hole plate from boilers, and particularly from tire tube locomotive crane boilers.

lVhen boilers of this character are taken from service to be washed out, it necessary that the hand hole plates be removed, and this is usually done by hand. Often when taking plates out by hand, they slip off the fingers and fall down into the boiler, and this necessitates hours of delay in cooling the boiler off and fishing around to get a hold on the hand hole plate. If the plate should fall behind a sta ybolt, it is almost impossible to remove it, and if, on the other hand, it is allowed to remain and happens to have fallen alongside of the fire sheet, a hole will be burned in the lire sheet at this point because the hand hole plate prevents the water from coming in close contact with the sheet to cool it. 7

The general object of my invention is to provide a very simple and effective tool for removing these hand hole plates.

And a further object is to provide a tool of this character which may be readily engaged with the plate and from which the plate will not become detached within the boiler even by a violent shaking.

A further object is to provide a hand hole plate removing tool having a hand hole enga ing tongue or member pivotally con nected to the extremity of the shank or handie which is adapted to be inserted in the socket commonly tound on this type of hand hole plates, and which will permit the hole plate to be carried into the boiler i thenwhich will permit'the hand hole plat to fall into a horizontal position whereby X may be removed from the hand hole nd which is so constructed as to prevent the hand hole plate from falling in any other direction. 7

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

invented certain new and hand i invention is illustrated in the accomgiianying drawings, wherein Figure l is a side elevation partly in sectionlof a. hand hole plate removing tool constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the tool;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through a boiler and hand hole plate showing how the tool is applied;

Figure at is a like view to Figure 3, but showing the hand hole plate in the act of being removed.

referring to these drawings, 10 designates the handle or shank of my improved implement, which is circular in transverse section and longitudinally curved. One end of this shank is angularly bent, as at 11, and this end of the shank at its extremities is widened, as as 12, and formed with a kerf 13 defining two cars on each side of the kerf. The bottom 14 of this kerf is inclined and lies approximately at right angles to that portion of the handle or shank immediately opposite these ears. The opposite end of the handle or shank is bent to form an eye 15 or may be formed inany suitable manner.

Pivoted to the bifurcated end of the shank is a tongue 16 which is approximately rectztngular in form and relatively thick, and which is formed with the projecting ear 1'? adapted to be received in the slot 13 and be pivoted to the portion 12 of the shank by means a transverse pivot bolt, rivet or pin 18. This ear 1? at its outer end has one corner rounded off, as at 19., while between this rounded portion and the outer face of the ear, that is the face away from the handle, the edge face of the ear 17 is flattened, as at 20. The rounded corner 19 has a radius equal to the shortest distance between the flat face 14 of the bottom of the kerf 13 and the axis on which the ear turns, but the distance between the pivot pin 1d and the extremity of the flattened face 20 of the ear remote from the pivot pin 18 is greater than this radius so that the car has only a limited movement of oscillation from the position shown in Figure l to the position shown in Figure 4f. When it is in the position shown in Figure 1, the

flat face 20 comes in contact with the bot-V tom 14 of the kerf 13, but the ear is held 111 the position shown, which Is its positlon when entering the socket in the hand hole plate. The hand hole plate is designated a and is of conventional form, and upon its face is provided with a U-shaped socket, designated generally B, which overhangs the plate, this socket being cut away at its middle, as at Z). This hand hole plate, when in place, has its socket extending horizontally.

In the use of this device, the handle is disposed as illustrated in Figure 3, with the tongue in a horizontal position, and then the tongue is inserted in the socket in the plate until it engages fully with the overhanging wall of the socket and the reduced portion 11 of the shank or handle is disposed to extend through the cut away portion 17 ot' the socket, It will be understood, of course, that the tool is inserted into the T-shaped slot and the hand hole plate pushed into the boiler. The tool is then given a quarter turn with the hand hole plate so that the tongue of the tool faces upward. In this position, the hand hole plate cannot tall backward into the boiler on account 01 the stop formed by the face 20 coming in contact with the bottom 01": the kerf 13, but this tongue can fall outward, that is toward the handle, it the tool be tilted forward slightly, and carries with it the hand hole plate so that the hand hole plate is in the position shown in Figure 4t, permitting the tool and the hand hole plate to be readily removed from the boiler.

It will be seen that the hand hole plate cannot fall inward, and that after it has been moved to a horizontal position, it can fall no further because it rests against the shank itself. This implement will remove a hand hole plate with no danger of its falling into the boiler and will firmly enthe hand hole plate until the tool has been deliberately detached from the hand hole plate.

1 claim 1- 1. A hand hole plate removing tool comprising a shank, one end 0t which is angularly extended and formed with a tongue pivoted to the extremity of the angular portion for free movement in one direction, said tongue being adapted to be inserted in the socket of a hand hole plate.

A. hand hole plate removing tool comprising a shank, one end of which is curved and a tongue pivoted to the extremity oi the curved end of the shank and formed to be inserted within the socket of a hand hole plate, the tongue and extremity of the shank being termed to provide a stop limiting the movement oi the tongue away from the shank, the tongue having moveinent toward the shank.

3. in implement of the scribed comprising shank angularly bent and formed spaced ears, a tongue having posed between the spaced ears and pivoted thereto, the tongue being adapted to be inserted in the socket of a hand hole plate, the tongue and shank being formed to provide coacting stop surfaces permitting a limited movement of the tongue away from character dehavlng one end to provlde the shank but permitting the tongue to move toward the shank.

4-. An implement of the character described comprising a shank, one end of which is angularly bent, the extremity of this angularly bent end being formed to pro vide two spaced ears separated by a kerit, the bottom of the kerf being flat and di;.- posed at approximately a right angle to the shank, and a tongue rectangular in form, the tongue having at one side an outwardly projecting lug fitting between the ears and pivoted thereto, said lug having that corner adjacent the shank rounded and the outer orner formed with a flat face adapted to engage with the bottom of the kerf to limit the outward movement of the tongue away from the shank.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

WALTER C. REED.

a lug CllS- 

